High stakes, low odds: why Trump pardon is unlikely for 1MDB’s Jho Low

But the attempt has still landed awkwardly in Kuala Lumpur, where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

’s government is trying to recover stolen 1MDB assets while proving the country’s post-2018 anti-corruption reset has not lost momentum.

The Malaysian, whose legal name is Low Taek Jho, filed an official request in recent weeks for a US presidential pardon that could wipe away criminal charges against him in the United States, the New York-based The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The US Justice Department website lists a pending request under his name for a “Pardon after Completion of Sentence”.